Feeding fiber



IV/TA/ESSL'S May 25 1926..

Q Q v 4 i l I n 0 r g w. FAUST FEEDING FIBER Filed March 6 1924 INVENTOR ZflalferlLFcQusfi 1 ATTORNEYS Patented May 25, 1926.

- UNITED STATES PATENT orm-ca.

WALTER LIVINGSTON FAUST, E suMMrr, N W JERSEY, ASSIGNOR rro wHI'rLoox coRDAGE COMPANY, or JERS Y CITY, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

FEEDING FIBER.

Application filed. March 6, 1924.. Serial- No. 697,248.

The present invention relates to ropemanufacture and it pertains more particularly to a new and improved method of feedm fiber slivers.

n the rope-making art sliver is a term applied to a continuous tube or ribbon formed of overlapping fiber filaments.

Great difficulty has been experienced in feeding these slivers to various types of rope-making machines in that in exerting a longitudinal pull upon the slivers the same are separated for the reason that the fibers pull apart from their overlapped position, and it is one of the primary objects of the present invention to provide means whereby longitudinal pull on the slivers will not tend to pull the same apart but will cause a bodily movement thereof without afi'ecting the rela tive position of the fibers of which the sliver is composed.

It is a further object of the invention to provide means for feeding fiber slivers which will permit of moving said fiber slivers longitudinally through any desired distance, which greatly facilitates the feeding of fiber slivers to certain types of rope making machinery.

It has heretofore be'enproposed to draw slivers or rovings through lengths in excess of the individual fiber length by passing the sliver in a zigzag path over and under spools or rollers to increase the friction between the individual fibers and so keep the sliver from pulling apart. In such a device there is a constant tendency for the ends of the fibers to catch around the spools or circle around till others ,follow it and a snarl rapidly results.

An additional object of my invention is therefore to provide fiber feeding means of such character as to prevent the possibility of the individualfibers getting out of line or becoming snarled and to permit the feedin of the fiber more rapidly than has heretoi ore been possible.

With the above and other objects in view, reference is had to the accompanying drawin s,.in Which Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of mechanism for carrying out the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail plan view of that form of the invention shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 an end view of the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2:

Fi 4; is a plan view of a slightly modified orm of the invention;

Fig. 5 is an end View of that'form of the invention shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view showing the construction of a fiber sliver.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, and particularly to Fig. 6, it will be noted that the sliver 10 comprises a plurality ofindividual longitudinally disposed fibers. 11 arranged in overlapping relation, that is, the end of each fiber overlaps to a certain degree, the ends of each of the adjacent fibers. This sliver is formed in a combing machine, and the sliver is deposited as it comes from such combing machine, in cans or other receptacles, such as 12 in Fig. 1, provided for the purpose. V

In certain types of cordage, a pluralityof slivers are combined to make a relatively larger sliver, and this is done by passing a plurality-of slivers, such as formed by the combing machine, through a ga e plate designated b the reference numera 13 in Fig. 1. It has eretofore been necessary to place the cans or receptacles 12 in close proximity to the gage plate 13 in order that the slivers will not be pulled apart in feeding from the 7 cans 12 to the gage plate. In a few cases this has no disadvantages, but in larger sizes of Cordage where a great number of slivers are combined, some of the cans or receptacles are necessarily considerable distance from the gage plate 13 and great difficulty is experienced in feeding these particular slivers to the gage plate without rupture of the slivers.

In carrying out the present invention a tubular member, such asdesignated by the reference character .15, is bent at intervals, as at 16, to provide a feeding tubeot a tortuous nature. The points at which this tube is bent are spaced with respect to one another and the intervening distance between i these points is less than the length of the therefrom of the sliver. As-the sliver is fed through the tortuous tube, the same is subj ected to lateral tension which causes a binding of the fibers forming the sliver, upon one another, thus preventing rupture of the sliver and maintaining the same in contact as it is fed through the tortuous tube.

In that form of the invention shown in Fig. 4, an open channel member designated by the reference character 20, is bent at points designated by the reference character 21, and the sliver is fed therethrough, the points of bend 21 exerting lateral tension upon the'sliver in its passage through the channel.

From the foregoing it is apparent that the present invention provides means for subjecting a fiber sliver to the action of lateral tension to prevent rupture of the sliver under strain longitudinal thereof.

In effect, causing the movement of the sliver in a tortuous course, results in an increase of the contact friction of the fibers to an extent sufiicient to prevent the separation of the sliver vwhen longitudinal pull is exerted thereon, regardless of the length of the sliver.

The continuous guides, either in the form of closed tubes as illustrated in Figs. 1-3, or in the form of channels as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, are of great practical importance in preventing the straying of fibers out of line and frequent stoppage to straighten out tangles and ru tured slivers. With my invention such ifliculties are wholly avoided; no supervision is necessary during operation; the speed of travel of the sliver may be increased far above what has guide in the form of a continuous channel through which the sliver is moved under longitudinal tension, and means associated therewith for placing the sliver under lateral compression at redetermined intervals.

2. Means for feeding fiber slivers, through a distance exceeding the normal length of the fibers thereof which includes a sliver guide through which the sliver is moved under longitudinal tension, said guide comprising a continuous closed channel which is deflected at predetermined intervals for placing the sliver under lateral compression, the distance intervening between said deflections bein less than the normal length of the fiber emp oyed in the sliver.

3. A device for. feeding untwisted fibers longitudinally through a distance exceeding the normal len th of the fibers which includes a guide in the form of a continuous closed channel, the said guide being deflected from the straight line at intervals less than the normal length of the fibers and provided at its inlet end with a mouth for collecting the individual fibers and guiding theminto the channel.

WALTER LIVINGSTON FAUST. 

